Ex-NFL star Shawne Merriman brings vision to life as he launches free sports TV channel


Shawne Merriman was used to blitzing quarterbacks for eight years within the NFL which noticed him earn three Professional Bowl appearances and a Defensive Rookie of the 12 months award.

Now, Merriman is taking over the problem of constructing his personal streaming service. 

He lately launched Lights Out Sports — a free sports activities TV streaming service that may showcase a mess of sports activities genres, together with his personal blended martial arts promotion, Lights Out Xtreme Preventing.

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Shawne Merriman attends Michael Rubin’s Fanatics Tremendous Bowl celebration on the Marquee Nightclub at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on February 10, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Photos)

Merriman instructed Fox Information Digital in a latest interview he received the concept from watching different free TV channels and observed the dearth of sports activities content material on them. He mentioned his channel will embody chess tournaments, World Poker Tour and even TNA Wrestling.

“I’ve had this concept for therefore lengthy to create a locker room in a single place and we received it,” he mentioned. “It’s utterly free, 100% free. It’ll be on each main TV platform. And shortly, you’ll be capable of get it everywhere in the world and that was my most important factor.”

Merriman mentioned he partnered with OTTera to assist create the channel. He mentioned he needed to study the advert tech facet of the streaming enterprise whereas developing with the concepts of what he needed the channel to seem like.

The previous San Diego Chargers star mentioned even earlier than moving into Lights Out Xtreme Preventing and Lights Out Sports activities he had a curiosity for the way the manufacturing facet labored.

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Shawne Merriman looks on

Sep. 20, 2009; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman appears on the scoreboard within the fourth quarter in opposition to the Baltimore Ravens at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports activities)

“I look again on it now and I had a unique degree of curiosity,” he instructed Fox Information Digital. “I keep in mind going to Sunday evening video games and seeing the cameras and the lights and all of the folks working again there and I simply keep in mind asking questions on a regular basis.

“That’s what led to me understanding and loving the manufacturing facet of issues, which is why I received into the manufacturing facet with Lights Out Xtreme Preventing. We’ve all in-house manufacturing and I used to be at all times interested by it. I had no concept that this is able to lead me right here.”

Lights Out Xtreme Fighting’s Lights Out 16 will stream on Lights Out Sports activities. There will likely be 19 fights on what’s anticipated to be a five-hour present.

Shawne Merriman at the Fanatics party

Shawne Merriman attends Michael Rubin’s Fanatics Tremendous Bowl celebration on the Marquee Nightclub at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on February 10, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Photos)

Whereas Merriman tried to cover his pleasure for all the main strikes he’s made, he couldn’t assist however be ecstatic over the launch of the channel and the success of his MMA promotion.

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“I don’t actually get excited… I do excited however I simply don’t pat myself on the again anymore. I’ve this sense that I’m alleged to do it. Sure issues, I don’t actually have a good time an entire lot. However after I noticed it on each main TV platform, I used to be like, man that is it. OTTera has been an enormous assist.”

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